Tokyo Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 5

The call ended, and Hojo Suzune dabbed the last trace of grease from her lips. She slipped on her earphones and replayed the recording she'd just made on her phone, listening to every syllable.

The boy's voice in her ears coaxed a satisfied smile onto her pale face. She tapped the screen twice and added a date to the file.

A moment later, still hungry for more, she opened another clip hidden in a private folder.

"Suzune, I like you... No matter what, I'll stay by your side and support you..."

The words hit her like an electric shock; her fingers clenched around the phone.

Under the hem of her skirt her legs pressed tightly together, the toes inside white stockings curling.

A soft gasp escaped her lips. Colour—rose on porcelain—flooded her cheeks; her small chest rose and fell. The air around her seemed to bloom like a rose in heat.

Click.

Unable to bear the fire in her chest any longer, she rose abruptly and padded into the bedroom. She drew the curtains, plunging the room into dimness. From the back of the wardrobe she pulled out a sand-coloured boy's jacket that no one must ever see.

She kicked off her slippers and scrambled onto the bed like an eager puppy. From beneath the pillow she took Shiratori Seiya's photograph, pressed the jacket over it, and buried her flushed face deep into the fabric, breathing him in.

His recorded voice looped: "Suzune, I like you..."

Her eyes glazed; fingers slipped under her skirt...

The audio was clearly spliced, the cadence unnatural, but she hardly cared.

Ten-odd minutes later the emptiness inside her was, for a breath, filled. Suzune let go of the pillow, parted her moist lips, and lay panting, hair stuck to her damp forehead.

Yet the hollow reopened, wider than before. Reality—cold and merciless—slammed against fantasy, and loneliness sank its claws into her. She turned the photograph between numb fingers, the boy's smiling face growing distant.

Some people are magnets and iron; once they meet they can't be pulled apart. She had fallen for Shiratori Seiya long before she even understood what love was. She had met him before her older sister ever did.

Back then, the summer after ninth grade, her parents' constant quarrelling over things she couldn't grasp had turned the promised family trip into a mirage. Her sister was busy with club training. Friends flooded social media with sunny holiday photos.

"Hojo-chan, didn't you say you were going to Hokkaido? I haven't seen any posts—did the plan get cancelled?"

"No... just a couple of days' delay."

"You'd better hurry. After this week the events will be over. But if you go before the weekend you can still catch the kendo tournament. It's fun, actually..."

"You might even meet someone interesting. Risa met Kawasaki in Hokkaido, remember? You haven't dated yet, right?"

"Dating? I think that's still a bit early for me..."

"Come on, just try it. Experience builds up, like our math teacher says."

Pride—and a fear of anyone discovering her family's mess—had made her board the train alone. The excitement she'd imagined gave way to raw unease. She shot countless lifeless photos of the coast and deflated festival balloons.

She tried the Budokan her friend had mentioned, but the crowds and heat drove her out after a single selfie. Evening found her on the seawall, willing the sun to fall faster so she could snap that final sunset and flee home.

Summer daylight, however, was stubborn. Clouds gathered; the golden orb vanished. Streetlamps flickered on one by one. A coarse voice broke the gloom.

"Oi, you alone?"

Suzune jerked around. A broad, menacing face loomed, reeking of alcohol and lust. Terror froze her; she spun and ran.

"Hey!"

The man snatched her shoulder-strap. She yanked free, leaving the bag in his grasp like a lizard dropping its tail. Obscenities chased her.

She ran blind until a blaring horn split the night. Headlights pinned her like a deer.

Am I going to die?

Brakes screamed. When her mind caught up, she found herself in a boy's arms.

"You okay?" His voice was gentle enough to cool the summer air.

"Get lost and jump in the sea next time!" the driver shouted, then sped away.

Suzune managed a small shake of her head. "I—I think I'm fine..."

"Can you walk?" He released her, but her legs buckled. She sank to her knees.

"Looks like no. There's no taxi here; I'll carry you."

Shiratori Seiya crouched, offering his back. Without thinking she climbed on.

He felt thin, yet the shoulders beneath her were steady, the hands that supported her sure and strong.

"What's your name? Where's home?"

"Ky-Kyoto..."

"Kyoto?" He sounded surprised, then laughed softly. "Same as me."

Fate, she thought, or something close.

"I'm only here because my team's competing. The kendo prelims—Inter-High."

Suzune didn't understand what Inter-High meant, but it sounded impressive. Afraid of seeming ignorant, she stayed silent.

"It's short for the All Japan High School Comprehensive Sports Tournament," he explained. "Kendo's one of the events. You're still in middle school, right? You'll learn soon enough."

I'm starting high school this year. The words itched, yet she swallowed them. Instead she said, "That's amazing."

He gave a modest shrug. "We're favourites to win, that's all."

"It's not that I'm amazing—my girlfriend is. She was already allowed to compete in the Inter-High as a first-year, and odds are she'll sweep every high-school kendo title this year."

"......"

The word girlfriend stabbed Hojo Suzune again.

She hadn't yet understood what liking someone felt like, so the sudden ache confused her.

"That's incredible," she said, forcing enthusiasm.

Yet the boy beside her seemed oblivious. Thinking of something else, he sighed.

"She is good, but it's not like it brings in any money..."

Realising he'd said too much, he changed tack.

"Don't envy her. Once you're in high school you can compete too. You're in a club, right?"

"Yes... Wind Orchestra."

"You must be talented. I bet you've got a gift for music. Keep at it and you'll be famous one day."

He sounded more certain than she did, as if he'd already glimpsed her future.

His words lifted her mood. She rested her chin on his shoulder like a kitten.

"Mm."

Silence fell, but she wanted to know more about him. She hesitated, heart pounding.

They reached the street where shops began to appear; the sound of approaching traffic warned that they would soon part.

Her pulse raced.

I want to see him again!

I have to see him again!

Suzune's breathing quickened. Her hand on his shoulder tightened. "W-what's your name?"

"Shiratori Seiya."

"And yours?"

"H-Hojo Suzune..."

"......"

That first meeting felt like a dream. From that day on, Suzune couldn't stop thinking about him.

After middle school she chose the same high school without hesitation.

When she heard he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she stayed up all night texting him comforting messages while already plotting how to win his heart.

If we start dating, I'll enter every competition, too. I won't look second-best in front of his ex.

But fate took a turn she never saw coming.

It was a bright, breezy morning.

Her older sister arrived with Shiratori Seiya in tow, eyes shining with happiness.

"Suzune, this is Shiratori Seiya. He's going to be my boyfriend from now on."

"......"

The memories flashed through her mind—every heart-breaking moment of their high-school romance. Curled up in bed, Suzune hugged her knees.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and soaked the sheets.

"Seiya... you're mine."

"Wait a little longer, just a little more..."

"No one will take you away—not even my sister."

Her whisper vanished into the dusty air, her tear-bright eyes blazing with resolve.

A fateful meeting must lead to a fateful ending. She and Seiya would be together in the end.

......